Final answer:
In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court defined implied powers by ruling that the creation of a national bank was necessary and proper, and upheld the federal government's supremacy by disallowing a state to tax it.
Step-by-step explanation:
In McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), the Supreme Court addressed whether the federal government had the authority to establish a national bank and if states had the power to tax such federal entities. Contrary to some of the provided options, the court held that Congress had the authority to create a national bank under the necessary and proper clause of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.
This was seen as a confirmation of implied powers of the federal government. Additionally, the court found that the state of Maryland could not tax the national bank, establishing the principle of national supremacy under which federal laws have precedence over conflicting state laws. Hence, options b and c from the question are incorrect. The correct answer, in this case, would be that the Supreme Court "defined implied powers—that a bank was necessary and proper" for the federal government to carry out its constitutional duties.